Francis Gonsalves
The prayerful present
Do you say your prayers every night?” grandma asked her grandson. “Oh, yes!” replied the little lad. “And every morning?” she asked again. “No!” said the boy, “I’m not scared during the day time.” Aren’t we often like this boy whose prayers arise out of fear and the desire to get favours? However, the Bible says: “Pray without ceasing” (1 Thessalonians 5:17).
Bloom in God’s garden
Bloom where you are planted” were the words on a poster, under a garden full of flowers, in my hostel room during my college days. My witty roommate Ashok stuck a paper on the poster, which read: “Survive where you are stuck!”
Do you see life merely as a cesspool of survival or as a garden with pregnant possibilities for growth and blossoming?
Let there be light
On her visit to a slum, a social worker saw an old man lying in the darkness. “Why don’t you light your lamp?” she asked the man. “Because I’ve been deserted by all, and my life’s in darkness.” Saddened, the social worker said, “If I visit you regularly, will you light your diya for me?” The old man whispered, “Yes!”
Wedded to wisdom
How can one distinguish between artificial flowers and real ones?” asked the disciple to his guru. “Simple!” replied the guru, “Butterflies and bees will only rest on the real ones.” It’s easier for butterflies and bees to discern what’s real and what’s not than for us to separate truth from falsehood, good from evil. Yet, life requires that we assess choices and take decisions. This requires wisdom.
On angels’ wings
Do you believe in angels?” a student once asked me. “Yes, I do!” I replied. She continued, “With wings and white robes?” Smiling, I explained: “They wouldn’t require robes since they’re spirits who don’t have bodies to decorate! But, angels’ wings signify the assurance that God is near: protecting, inspiring and guiding me.” From the gates of Eden in its first book of Genesis to God’s heavenly court in the Apocalypse, its last, the Bible is full of accounts of angels. The word “angel” is derived from the Greek aggelos, meaning “messenger”, and is linked to evangellion, meaning “good news”. Angels bring God’s good news.
Partnering with God
Work as if everything depends on you, and trust as if everything depends on God,” is the advice of the mystic Ignatius of Loyola. It’s heartening to live in partnership with God. The Bible often records God’s assurance of support to people in trying times or on difficult missions.
God’s love letters
Madly in love with a maiden, a youth wrote her love letters daily. He did this for years, till she married the postman! Something similar happens while reading scripture.
The burdens of freedom
“At the stroke of the midnight hour, when the world sleeps, India will awake to life and freedom… But freedom brings responsibilities and burdens and we have to face them in the spirit of a free and d
The God of small things
Barring cellphones and iPods, men normally boast about having everything big: Big money, big muscles, big motorcars and even a Big God! But flipping through the pages of the Bible, I often encounter a God of small things. I don’t doubt that our “Almighty God” is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. However, God is deeply concerned about the littleness that seems so insignificant to you and me.
I have a dream
Only students securing 100 per cent marks are to be admitted into Delhi’s prestigious colleges. This news sent shivers down the spine of the brightest of students.
